Scheherazade
11-23-2007, 03:46 PM
The Beach by Alex Garland
Another one from BBC's Big Read list. I was putting off reading this book because I was not impressed with the movie based on it (though, have to admit that I watched only parts of it) but, yet once again, the movie failed to do justice to a book!
The Beach is, surprisingly enough, about a beach in Thailand. Richard, an English backpacker, hears about an idyllic beach on an obscure island out of nowhere and decides to find the place with two other fellow travellers. When their attempts prove fruitful, they realise that everything they have heard is true; the beach is, on the surface, a wonderful, almost utopic place but, as it is often the case, before long, they realise that there is a price for living at such a place.
I hadn't heard of Alex Garland's name until I saw this book and I don't know what other books he has written - if any; however, The Beach, even though it is not a literary gem, is a smooth-flowing story; a page-turner. The narrator, Richard, is far from being an ideal "hero" but he is an engaging character. As I read his story, I was very much reminded of a modern day Holden Caulfield in some respect and the story itself carries the echoes of Lord of the Flies.
If you are looking for a well-written, captivating modern day story, please do not hesitate to pick up this one; you will not be disappointed.
8/10 KitKats!
Another one from BBC's Big Read list. I was putting off reading this book because I was not impressed with the movie based on it (though, have to admit that I watched only parts of it) but, yet once again, the movie failed to do justice to a book!
The Beach is, surprisingly enough, about a beach in Thailand. Richard, an English backpacker, hears about an idyllic beach on an obscure island out of nowhere and decides to find the place with two other fellow travellers. When their attempts prove fruitful, they realise that everything they have heard is true; the beach is, on the surface, a wonderful, almost utopic place but, as it is often the case, before long, they realise that there is a price for living at such a place.
I hadn't heard of Alex Garland's name until I saw this book and I don't know what other books he has written - if any; however, The Beach, even though it is not a literary gem, is a smooth-flowing story; a page-turner. The narrator, Richard, is far from being an ideal "hero" but he is an engaging character. As I read his story, I was very much reminded of a modern day Holden Caulfield in some respect and the story itself carries the echoes of Lord of the Flies.
If you are looking for a well-written, captivating modern day story, please do not hesitate to pick up this one; you will not be disappointed.
8/10 KitKats!